Will the addition of an external dac such as V-Dac,DacMagic etc really add a discernible improvement to the output of my Axiom M80 speakers? My playback equipment presently consists of a Harman Kardon stereo receiver and a Sony scd-s2000es cd player.

I would suggest you watch THIS . Its not really that long and quite enlightening. I have an Oppo BDP93 and a sony bluray player and I cant hear any difference. Make an informed decision after watching the video.

That vid is just as useless as all those that claim the opposite. Opinions without statistical backup.........

Dacs are a crapshoot. Unless you are obsessed with the idea, you are better off opting for a newer oppo offering instead of a standalone dac. Then at least you can say you you've made upgrades that can be rationalized from every angle. Btw, they are considered reference in vid and sound processing.

Dacs do make a difference. But, in my personal experience with varied gear, compared to where you put your speakers, they are about 0.001% of the equation. Ha! Speaker wire is another one that is hotly debated. Again, such a small piece of the pie, although legitimate. I'd rather put money into more media!

Arthur, DACs have been at a state of technological maturity for quite some time now. Measurable differences certainly still exist, but typical ones, such as those internal to your equipment, provide levels of frequency response, noise and distortion which are audibly transparent. No audible benefits result from adding an external DAC.

One caution in viewing comparisons sometimes seen elsewhere is that if the associated electronics in the new DAC result in a slightly louder level with no change in the settings, this may be misinterpreted as better digital/analog conversion rather than simply the louder sounds better factor which often misleads when not compensated for.

I had a Oppo BD83se and sent it to a buddy who was deploying so he could see if he liked it better than his Oppo bd103. He said that he couldn't tell a difference between the two units. The 83se is suppose to be one of the best sounding analog units.